A Guide to Slow, Spiritual Reflection in a Hectic World

In our fast-paced culture, the word "speed" is far more attractive than "slow." But speed is more detrimental to the soul than we think.

I'm reading a book by John Mark Comer entitled The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World. It’s really good!

In the book, Comer shares a story from his mentor, John Ortberg, a pastor and prolific author.

John met with his mentor, Dallas Willard (before Dallas passed away in 2013), and asked him, "Dallas, what do I need to do to become the me I want to be?"

Willard paused for a long time. Silence.

Then Willard said, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."

Ortberg thought, "That's it? Really?" And then he asked, "What else?"

Willard: "There is nothing else. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."

It sounds so easy, but it’s so hard to do!

We’re all busy.

Our task lists are out of control.

We wake up the kids for school, pack their breakfasts and lunches, get dressed, and leave right on time for work. If you're single and without kids, savor these slower years.

We sit down in front of our screens and feel overwhelmed by the tasks we need to do.

We try to focus on our priorities, but get distracted by side conversations and surprise, urgent tasks.

Then we get home, cook dinner, eat a warm meal, put the kids to bed, and wash the dishes before winding down for the night.

Busyness. Hurry. You feel it. I feel it.

Busyness is the greatest distraction from creating and experiencing meaningful memories.

So, what’s the antidote to our dilemma of busyness, hurry, and distraction?

Simply: slow down.

Simple to say. But much harder to do.

Slow Down for Spiritual Reflection

So how do we slow down enough to be present for the moments and memories of life?

Many modern-day gurus suggest meditation as the silver bullet.

Meditation is increasingly popular among yuppies, entrepreneurs, and professionals. In fact, I watched a video where Ray Dalio – an American investor, billionaire, and founder of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world's largest hedge funds – said that meditation is the key to managing the stress and anxiety of leadership and business.

I agree—meditation can be a helpful way to slow down and savor the moment.

For me, as a Jesus-follower, it’s about practicing meditation that helps me slow down and savor Jesus.

I practice biblical meditation daily, and I can share from experience: it’s a game changer!

I carve out around 30-40 minutes each morning to spend time with Jesus in the Scriptures.

Below is a step-by-step outline of my practice.

Step 1: Gratitude

I always start my spiritual reflection with gratitude.

I begin by thanking God for his recent blessings in my life: waking me up in the morning, blessing me with the gift of family, and life itself. On most days, I write these gratitude moments in my prayer journal.

I also thank God for who He is. I focus on at least one aspect of His character.

For example, I usually recite this amazing passage written by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah:

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

And then I pray (and write in my journal), "Thank you, God, for being such a loving, compassionate, and merciful God!"

Starting with gratitude sets me up for the rest of my spiritual reflection time.

Step 2: Insight

I then read the Bible for spiritual insight.

As a Christian, I believe that God speaks primarily through the Bible.

I’ve read through the entire Bible several times over the years, but recently, I’ve chosen to slow down and truly absorb what I read.

I use a Bible reading plan (there are dozens of options available!) through a Kindle book: The One Year Bible. I read an Old Testament passage one day and a New Testament passage the next. Sometimes I’ll recite (and write down in my journal) a Bible verse from memory and focus on that verse only.

I prefer reading a physical Bible, but the digital format makes it easy for me to review my highlights.

I highlight the Bible verses that most resonate with me, and this sets me up for the next important step.

Step 3: Alignment

This third step is where I take the ideas from the Bible and apply them to my heart and life.

After I finish reading my selected portion of the Bible, I review all of my highlighted verses.

Then I reflect and ask God a vital question: "God, what is the one verse or passage that most powerfully speaks to me?"

I wait and meditate until the answer surfaces.

Let’s say I read Matthew 9, and this is the verse that most resonates with me:

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36)

I’m struck by Jesus' compassion for the helpless.

I sense that God is challenging me to be more compassionate like Jesus.

I then:

1. Thank God for the insight to be more compassionate.
2. Ask God to forgive me for only thinking about myself.
3. Ask God to forgive and release me from my selfishness.
4. Ask God for help as I begin to practice being more compassionate.

In Christian circles, this practice of reading Scripture and applying it to life for heart change is called repentance. It’s turning away from my sin and selfishness, turning toward Jesus, and living like Jesus.

Step 4: Delight

Out of all the steps, I believe this one is the most important.

After I’ve heard God speak to me through the Bible, I’m left with a moral imperative—something to live by. Let’s call this a duty.

It’s not enough for me to live by a sense of duty. I want to live with delight.

How do I move from duty to delight?

By remembering what Jesus did for me on the cross! Jesus came to earth, lived a life of love and service, and died a cruel death on a cross.

I imagine and remember the torture Jesus experienced. I then remember that Jesus died for me because He loves me (John 3:16).

Every time I remember the cross, my soul feels a deep sense of gratitude for the great sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf.

Wow!

And that deep sense of gratitude shifts my commitment from duty to delight.

I don’t merely have to follow Jesus; I want to!

My relationship with Jesus is not primarily based on what I can do for God, but what God did (and does) for me through Jesus!

The story of Jesus, and how God rescues lost people through Him, is called the gospel.

The gospel is what shifts me from duty to delight!

(If you’d like to learn how to live a joyful, gospel-centered life, you can read my article How My World Turned Right-Side Up.)

Step 5: Others

This last step in my spiritual reflection keeps me from only thinking about myself.

To become compassionate like Jesus, I pray for people in my social circles.

I start with people closest to me and move outward—think of layers of an onion.

Family, extended family, friends, colleagues, church members in need.

Jesus shared some hopeful words with one of His disciples, Simon Peter:

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail."(Luke 22:31-32)

Jesus was full of compassion! The enemy was trying to rip Peter's faith apart, so Jesus prayed for Peter’s courage and faith.

We pray for people so they remain strong and grow stronger.

Spiritual reflection is a must to slow down in a speed-up world.

Begin today—it will make a world of a difference.